Flash Forward
by FosterStinson
Summary: With Barry and Patty married with kids, the mantle of the Flash has been passed on, but when a mysterious figure from Barry's past returns, everything changes. (AU Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of the Flash, and in this interpretation of them certain aspects of characters will be changed. If you dislike any changes I make, please keep negative comments to yourself.)
1. Barry and Patty Allen

"Barry?" shouted Patty Spivot, looking around for her boyfriend, not seeing him anywhere. She stopped in her tracks and crossed her arms. "Barry, I know you're up here! I'm a detective, remember?"

Then she heard a whoosh sound and she turned around to see a picnic laid out behind her. She dropped her arms and sighed happily when she saw it. She looked around once more and decided to just go with whatever it was Barry was doing. She got down on the picnic table and was just about to reach into the basket but it was slammed shut and she was met with Barry Allen sitting in front of her.

"Wow, starting to eat without me, how rude." He said with fake offense.

Patty started laughing and rested her head on Barry's shoulder. "What is this for?"

"We have been together for two and a half years now, Patty. We've been through hell and back together, from Gorilla City to the Speedster Gauntlet, hell we even made it through the Kryptonian invasion together without help from the Flash. We survived that, you and me. I told you I was the Flash two years ago to this day, even though you already knew. And I felt like it was an occasion that deserved celebration. So I made a picnic."

"You are such a freaking nerd, I love you." She said, grabbing his hand. He stroked it with his thumb.

"I love you too." He leaned in and kissed her. A few seconds later he backed away.

"What's wrong?"

"I wanted to wait until we ate to do this, but I'm sick of waiting."

"What do you mean? Barry, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I think it will be. I think everything will be okay for the rest of our lives, or as long as you'll have me."

"Barry…" said Patty as he got resituated onto his knee and pulled out the ring box. "Oh my god."

"Patricia Andrea Spivot, I have loved you since the moment I first saw you. Will you-"

"Yes."

"You didn't even let me-"

"Yes!"

"Marry me?" he finished laughing.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" she screamed as he put the ring on her finger and both of them got up, embracing in the most loving kiss of their lives.

 _The not too distant future…_

Barry Allen stood at the altar wearing his nicest tux. He looked to his left to see his best man, Oliver Queen, followed by his groomsmen Cisco Ramon, Jax Jackson, and Wally West. Glancing to his right he saw the maid of honor, Dana Cho, followed by her twin sister, Alice Cho, followed by Iris West, Caitlin Snow, and then Linda Park. Martin Stein, the minister, smiled and nodded at Barry. He took in a deep breath as the big doors opened and in walked Joe West, with the beautiful Patty Spivot on his arm. Everything froze when Barry saw how beautiful she was. He'd wanted to see the dress beforehand, but Patty was superstitious about that stuff so he decided not to mess with her. But it was beautiful. It was indescribable, but it was perfect for Patty. Alone the dress would have meant nothing to Barry Allen, it was the person wearing it who made it everything to him. Joe winked at Barry when he let go of Patty, who stepped up to meet his eyes. They grabbed each other's hands and both smiled.

"I have known Barry Allen for a very long time. When we first encountered, I wasn't quite myself, but he helped me become who I once was. Since then I have considered him one of my closest friends. And the lovely Patty Spivot, she has one of the biggest hearts, and nothing could ever change that. If it weren't for her heroic actions during what has come to be known as the 'Reach Apocalypse', I would not be standing here today, honored to be officiating the union of the two best people the world has ever given the rest of us."

Vows were exchanged, tears were shed, cheers were cheered when they had the betrothed kiss.

"I met Barry Allen a long time ago." Began Oliver Queen, giving his best man speech. "He was the same awkward, goofy person he is now, but I also probably wouldn't recognize him if I looked back, because he has matured so much and become the amazing man we all know today. I think a big part of the reason behind this is Patty. Never in my life have I known anyone more perfect for Barry Allen than Patty Spivot. Someone once told me that true love is the soul's recognition of its counterpart in another, and I believe that's what Barry and Patty have. God knows both of them deserve it, and I wish them a lifetime of happiness."

Barry got up and hugged Oliver. Iris and Linda grabbed each other's hands and smiled. Joe looked at his children and teared up. Caitlin looked at Professor Stein and thought of Ronnie, beginning to tear up from his memory, but deciding to be happy to still be where she is today. It was a happy day and nothing was going to change that. Or, so they thought.

"Scotch on the rocks. _Cold_." He ordered.

"What the hell are you doing at my wedding?" demanded Barry Allen from behind. The man turned to face him and Barry's eyes met those of Leonard Snart.

"Relax, I'm not here to cause trouble. I just wanted to congratulate you and wish you luck."

"If you _ever_ come near Patty-"

"Oh don't be so melodramatic. I happen to be a big believer in true love. See, Barry, I consider us friends, we just butt heads from time to time."

"We've almost killed each other four times."

"Eh, friends fight. I was offended when I didn't get my invite, so I thought I'd show up anyway. Don't worry, after I finish my drink," he took a sip, "I'll be out of your hair."

Barry took in a deep breath and took a seat next to Snart.

"Patty's beautiful, by the way."

"Aren't you dating Hartley?"

"Just because I have a boyfriend doesn't mean I can't appreciate another person's physical beauty." He countered.

"Fair enough."

Snart downed the rest of his drink. "Look, Barry, no matter how many times we fight, I do wish you a lifetime of happiness with Patty. It's the least I can do." He reached out his hand.

Somewhat reluctantly, Barry shook it. "Thank you, Snart." With that, he walked away and his attention was turned back to his beautiful bride.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Captain Cold."

"What?!"

"Don't worry, he wasn't here to do anything, he just wanted to talk. Everything's fine, I promise."

"Okay, okay. Let's dance." Barry grabbed her hand and together they moved to the dance floor, beginning their life together.

 _The somewhat more distant future…_

"Alright, one… two… three!" counted down Barry Allen from outside his and Patty's bedroom as he opened the door and his companions began shouting "Happy birthday mommy!"

She was woken up almost immediately and smiled at the sight of her seven-year-old son and her six-year-old daughter.

"Hi, Joey! Hi, Kenzie!" she picked up her daughter and swung her around before setting her down and hugging her son. She then looked over and smiled at her husband, who was holding the giant cake, more than half of which would be devoured by her husband and children. Barry brought it over and set it on her lap. "Happy birthday beautiful." And he kissed her.

"Ew!" said Joey before speeding out of the room.

"Don't say ew it's adorable!" shouted Kenzie before speeding after him.

Barry laughed and Patty just smiled. "I don't know how we've made it this far with them."

"It's all you, Patty. Come on, if we don't get the cake down there soon we'll have two mini tornadoes."

"Can you take it? I still need to get ready, and-" in the next second she was sitting at the dining table with two slices of cake in front of her. About ten slices were on the other plates, which was completely normal in the Allen household. Patty was unbelievably happy, she was under the impression this would be the best birthday ever, but she would not feel the way by the end of the night.


	2. The Surprise

Not long after they finished the birthday breakfast their TV started blinking and Barry ran over, hitting a button on the remote. Then the image of Cisco Ramon came to life. He was wearing a suit with no tie and he had his hair pulled up into a man bun. He was beginning to grow stubble. He looked a lot more mature than he had just a few years ago.

"Hey, Barry!" he said.

"Cisco! What's up man?"

"I just wanted to call and let you know I'm gonna be late to the- hey Patty! Happy birthday!" he said, catching himself from spoiling the surprise.

"Thanks Cisco! How's S.T.A.R. Labs doing?" she asked.

"It's going pretty great, in all honesty. Running a multi-billion dollar company gets difficult sometimes, but it sure as hell isn't without its perks."

Patty chuckled. "I'm sure."

"Anyway, I just wanted to call and say happy birthday, but I gotta get back to work. I'll see you guys later!"

"See ya, Cisco." Said Barry. "Bye Uncle Cisco!" shouted Joey and Kenzie before the screen turned off. Back at S.T.A.R. Labs Cisco put his hands on his hips and let out a deep breath, looking around the Cortex. There were so many people there, actually working. He was proud of what he'd accomplished, but he missed the old days with Barry… and with Caitlin.

"Mr. Ramon?" said a worker who walked into the cortex holding a file. "I found her."

Cisco's face lit up as he walked over and grabbed the file, opening it to see a picture of none other than Lisa Snart. He was going to be later than he thought.

The party was at 7, so Cisco decided to leave work at 4. He drove into the slums of Central City and stopped right outside the dirtiest bar in the city. The one where the Rogues used to hang out when they weren't busy getting beaten by the Flash.

"The Hole in the Wall." He said to himself. He hesitated before walking in.

Without looking up Lisa asked "What can I get you?"

"Vodka Martini and an explanation." This got her attention as she looked up and froze.

"Cisco…"

"Hi." He said, unsure of what to say. He sat down and neither of them spoke as she prepared his drink. She slid it to him and he caught it. "Now how about that explanation?"

"What do you want me to say, Cisco? I had to disappear. After what Lenny did, I knew you were going to come after me."

"Except we didn't. Because we knew that you didn't help him, I wanted to find you to make sure you were okay, Lisa! But six years? You've been here for six years?" he asked, starting to get angry.

"No! I left Central City immediately, I moved to Metropolis."

"Why did you come back?"

She flinched.

"Lisa."

"I'm sorry, Cisco. I'm so sorry." She set a glass down on the bar and took off her apron before walking out, but Cisco grabbed her hand and froze.

" _You will go back to Central City."_

" _No! Please!"_

" _I don't have time for your pathetic begging! Actually… I have all the time in the world. But you don't. Get moving, or I might just have to pay your brother a visit, or maybe Cisco."_

" _Okay! Okay!" tears were streaming down her face._

Cisco backed away in fear, not of Lisa, but of the other person he saw in his vibe. Their eyes met.

"I'm so sorry." She ran out, and he stumbled backwards, having to grab onto the bar to keep from falling.

"It's not possible." He muttered to himself.

A few hours later at the Allen household, Barry and Patty were interrupted in the middle of Patty's birthday sex by Joey and Kenzie banging on their door.

"Shit." Muttered Barry before quickly putting all of his clothes on, giving Patty some time. He slipped out and said "What is it guys?"

"Aunt Iris and Aunt Linda are here!" they said excitedly.

"Okay, um, thank you. Just give me a second." He said, then he leaned back into his room and said "Hey, Patty? Something came up, just give me fifteen minutes and I'll be right back, don't leave the room." Then he sped downstairs.

"Okay?" she said, confused, sitting on the bed, letting out a sigh.

As soon as he got downstairs he found Iris and Linda.

"Hi guys!" he said, hugging them. "How have you been?"

"Well, we just got back from our anniversary in the Bahamas, so I could not be better." Said Linda, slurring some of her words.

"She's still a little drunk, isn't she?" asked Barry, laughing.

"Just a little bit." Laughed Iris, supporting her wife.

Just then there was another knock at the door, which Barry opened immediately.

"Ronnie! Jax!" he hugged his friends, welcoming them inside.

"Alright, Cisco told me he'd be late, so we've only got Wally to wait on, but we all know he'll be late anyway, so let's all get ready!" exclaimed Barry. All four of them looked at him with skeptical looks and crossed arms.

"Okay, fine." He sighed, getting everything ready in two seconds. They waited a few minutes to Wally to show up, but eventually decided to just get Patty. "Alright, everyone hide and turn the lights off." He ran upstairs and as soon as he opened their door he was yanked back into bed with Patty, which he didn't exactly fight. Everyone downstairs was getting incredibly impatient, and then they heard someone knocking on the door. They exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.

"Look, they're obviously having sex, and that's probably Wally, so we can let him in quickly enough and still be in our hiding spots." Said Ronnie, walking to the door. However, when he opened it he found an exhausted Cisco, somewhat sweaty.

"Cisco? Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, where's Barry?"

"He's upstairs with Patty, we're getting ready for the surprise, get in here." He said, pulling Cisco in.

"I have something important to tell him-"

"It can wait, hide!" he said, hearing the door upstairs open. The lights went off and Cisco was shoved behind a couch. As soon as they reached the bottom step the lights were flipped on and everyone jumped out screaming "Surprise!"

"Ah! Oh my god! You guys!" said Patty, legitimately surprised. She hugged Barry and then walked forward to talk to her friends.

For about twenty minutes everyone was conversing and having fun, but Barry walked over to Iris, who was on the phone.

"If you get this anytime soon, just call me back we're all waiting on you. I love you, call me back." she said, hanging up.

"Wally?"

"I still can't get ahold of him."

"I'm sure he's fine. Probably just Flash business."

"Yeah, probably. Do you ever miss it?"

"Are you kidding? I miss it like hell, but Wally's more than qualified, and my family deserves my undivided attention." said Barry.

Just then, they could've sworn they saw a yellow blur pass by the window.

"What was that?" asked Iris.

"Probably nothing," said a skeptical Barry, "Come on, let's go rejoin the party."

As soon as they rejoined the circle, the lights went out.

"What the hell?" asked Jax. Just then, they heard a whirring noise, something that was all too familiar to most of them, something they hadn't heard in years. They all turned to face it as the lights turned back on. Some of them gasped, some shouted. But Barry was just standing there, paralyzed with fear. This was a sight he thought he'd never see again. Before them was standing the Reverse-Flash, holding Wally's mask.

"Hello… _Flash_." He said, his voice sending chills down Barry's spine.

Instead of saying anything, he just screamed at the top of his lungs and lunged forward at Reverse-Flash, but he swatted Barry away like a fly, slamming him into the wall. He held up Wally's mask and said "Not fast enough." He dropped the mask and disappeared, leaving Barry on the ground, breathing heavily, disbelief written all over his face. Patty, Joey, and Kenzie all ran over to him, and Cisco fell onto the couch, getting lightheaded.

"What the hell was that thing?" asked Jax.

"That was the Reverse-Flash." Explained Ronnie. "He was the first big bad Barry ever faced, he was the one who killed his mom and impersonated the original Harrison Wells. We all thought he was dead, erased from existence. But he was here…" Ronnie was having trouble comprehending it, and Jax put his hand on his shoulder.

"Should we look for him?" he asked.

"Couldn't hurt. Let's go." Ronnie concurred. Jax pulled out the Matrix Device and slapped it on his chest, grabbing Ronnie's hand, absorbing his essence and becoming Firestorm. He walked over to Barry, he was now sitting up, breathing heavily.

"Barry, we're gonna go find him. It'll be alright." Firestorm promised. He then ran out the door and blasted off into the sky. Patty, Iris, and Linda had managed to get Barry onto the couch next to Cisco, where he calmed down.

"How the hell…" he muttered. "Cisco? Cisco are you okay?"

"No, I'm not." He answered plainly.

"How could Reverse-Flash possibly be alive?" asked Iris.

"I don't know." Answered Cisco. "But earlier… I found Lisa." This got some looks of surprise, as no one had been able to find Lisa for six years. "I touched her and had a vibe, she was threatened to come back to Central City by Reverse-Flash. I was going to tell you, but I-"

"It's okay." Barry said, staring off into the distance.

About an hour later Firestorm returned. Joey and Kenzie had been put to bed and Barry had downed four six packs of beer, but was still completely sober, which pissed him off now more than ever.

Jax and Ronnie separated. "We searched Wally's apartment, there were no clues there, and no one at his office had any idea he was missing. We have nothing to go off of, it's like he just vanished. No news coverage of the Flash fighting anybody in the past few days." Explained Ronnie.

"When was the last time anyone here had any contact with Wally?" asked Jax.

"I spoke to him two days ago. We were talking about the party, he promised he wouldn't be late and he seemed fine." Explained Iris. Everyone could hear the worry in her voice. Barry grabbed his jacket and walked towards the door.

"Barry, where are you going?" asked a worried Patty.

"I need to tell Caitlin." He said, and without another word he was out the door. Ronnie took a step forward, but he stopped himself. He'd been back for a few years now and still hadn't seen Caitlin. He didn't want to start now. He was too scared. Linda and Iris were both comforting Patty, and everyone was worried about what Barry was going to do. They were all so shaken up they didn't even notice the man in yellow watching them through the window, quietly chuckling.


	3. The Cold Shoulder

Barry skidded to a halt when he reached the building. A voice spoke to him from his watch. "Are you sure this is the best idea, Barry?"

"Not at all, Gideon. But I need to do this. Even she deserves to know what's going on." He said, calmly walking in.

"Visiting hours are over, sir." Said a tired and annoyed guard. Barry sighed and held up his Gideon watch. "Oh! My apologies sir! Who are you here to see?"

"Snow, first name Caitlin." He said calmly. "Right this way, sir." The guard led him down the hall into the visitor center. It was vacant. He took a seat at the table in the middle of the room, and a few minutes later he saw her accompanied in by two guards, wearing protective gear that Cisco had designed for the guards at Titanium Heights. Barry had also created an AI system for the new prison after Iron Heights had been destroyed by the Rogues in a riot. This was the only solution after the S.T.A.R. Labs pipeline became unusable, and so far it had been fairly affective.

Barry could see the discomfort on Caitlin's face when she saw him. She would have gone pale white if she wasn't already. Her white hair had grown longer and was starting to get a little darker. Her neck was starting to chafe around the power dampening collar.

"Hi, Caitlin."

"What do you want?" she asked, sitting down. She sounded more worried than angry.

The words got stuck in his throat.

"I just…"

"You just what? There's not really a lot for you to say to me, Barry. You couldn't save me, then you stopped trying. So unless you have something that's actually important-"

"Thawne is alive."

That shut her up. She stared blankly at Barry, her mouth slightly open. He could feel her freezing breath from across the table.

"Wh- what?" was all she could think to say.

"Today was Patty's birthday. We threw a party, Wally was late. The lights went out and when they came back on… when they came back on he was just there. Holding Wally's mask… he said he wasn't fast enough. Then he disappeared." He explained, not making eye contact with her the whole time.

"This just happened?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. So it takes you less than a day to tell me Thawne is alive, but when Ronnie came back no one told me for weeks!" she shouted at Barry. The guards in the room reached towards their weapons.

"Caitlin, I'm sorry about that, but I learned my lesson-"

"I _still_ haven't seen him!" she was standing now, steam coming off of her hands as the room got colder. The guards stepped forward and shocked her, dragging her out.

"This is all your fault, Barry!" she screamed as she was dragged back in, tears streaming down her face, freezing over as they fell and shattering on contact with the ground. His eyes followed her out but stopped when she was dragged past Leonard Snart.

"Hi, Barry." He said coldly.

"You!" he shouted, getting up and running a few steps forward, but stopping himself. Snart smiled and laughed, turning around and walking away. Barry took in a deep breath and left, but he didn't go home. He knew Patty would be worried, and he felt bad about walking out like that, but these things needed to be done. He ran to the Central City Graveyard and ignored all the graves he was walking past, even though some of them were people he once knew, who either gave their lives in the line of duty or were killed by a metahuman he couldn't stop in time. But at the moment only one grave mattered to him. He stopped cold in his tracks when he reached it.

 _Joseph Rudolph West. 1968-2021. Loving Father. Caring Friend. Hero._

"Hi, dad." Said Barry, his voice cracking. He bit his bottom lip and kneeled down, putting his hand on the gravestone. "I don't… I don't know exactly what to say, Joe. He's back. The man we worked so hard to stop, the man who Eddie died to take down, the man who…" Barry was breathing heavily again, and tears were piling up on the ground. "You lived in a world without him to worry about, and that was a better world. You haven't had to see so much of the shit that we've been through, but it's so much harder without you, dad." He hung his head and let out a small scream. "Why?!" he screamed pushing himself upwards off of the grave to his feet. He turned around and took a few steps away, rubbing his hands on his head, pushing his hair back. He turned to face the grave. "You would know what to do, wouldn't you? You'd tell me that I was fast enough to stop him again, that I was the hero and I had the bigger heart, that, that I had something worth fighting for. But I'm afraid, dad! This man took everything from me and for so many years I thought he was dead, but he's here now and I have no idea how!" he rubbed his face and dropped his arm down to rest it on his hip. "You were the best dad I could've asked for. You would have been an amazing grandfather. I have my own family now, I have to be the one to look out for them, that's what you taught me. I have to do everything in my power to protect them." He had a million more words to say, but Joe would never hear them. So he turned and ran.


	4. Still Not Fast Enough

He felt the air pulsing against his face as he ran. It was cold. It took him back to that day.

" _Look, you should be grateful that we're even protecting you, Snart!" said Joe, matter-of-factly._

" _If you call this protection then we're all screwed, not just me!" he retorted._

" _Everybody just shut the hell up! You especially, Snart!" interrupted Barry, pushing them away from each other. He looked over at Cisco, Caitlin, and Patty, who all looked afraid. Snart was clutching his cold gun as he backed into Cisco's desk._

" _Napier will not stop looking for me until everyone I know is dead, I could care less about you people but that puts Lisa in danger!" they could all hear actual fear in his voice._

" _Snart?! Snart are you even there?!" they could all hear Mirror Master's voice coming from Snart's phone, which he had dropped onto the floor. Joe stepped forward and Snart held up his gun, aiming it at Joe. He put his hands in the air._

" _We're gonna protect both of you from Napier, you have my word."_

" _Your word doesn't mean shit to me, West." He said, his fear turning to anger._

" _Snart…"_

" _Get back, Barry!" he threatened, activating the gun. Barry looked over at Joe, seeing the sweat racing down the side of his face._

" _Snart!"_

" _I said get back!" he screamed, turning to face Barry, firing at him. Barry was barely able to dodge it, and the wall next to Caitlin was frozen, resulting in a loud shriek from her. Joe then jumped on Snart, but he threw him off, onto Cisco's desk. He then turned around to find Joe's gun pointed right at him. Snart then quickly froze Barry's leg, causing him to fall to the ground and he then aimed his gun at Cisco and the girls._

" _Shoot me and they all die."_

" _Joe! Don't!" pleaded Barry._

 _Snart began circling around the desk, keeping his aim, and Joe was doing the same, trying to get to Barry. Once they had made a 180, Joe made an instinctive choice and fired a bullet into Snart's shoulder, so he immediately turned around and froze Joe's entire front half, causing him to fall to the ground._

" _JOE!" screamed Barry, loud enough to nearly deafen everyone. Snart was breathing heavily, but not for long as he was shocked from behind, falling to the ground to find Iris holding a taser. She was shaking, and she dropped it._

" _Snart? I don't know what the hell you're trying to pull but-" spoke Mirror Master as Iris walked over to Joe._

" _Dad…" she dropped to her knees and touched his face, but jerking away from the cold. Barry crawled over and picked up the phone._

" _I swear, Scudder. I'm going to find you. And I'm going to put you down." Said Barry, throwing the phone into the wall, looking back at Joe and Iris. Everyone had run over to comfort Iris, and Barry screamed, banging his fist on the ground._

The memory knocked Barry off course, causing him to trip and tumble into the vacant Central City park. Then again, maybe that was because the Reverse-Flash body slammed into him. Barry stopped rolling after hitting a tree and looked up to see Reverse-Flash walking over to him. He stopped vibrating and laughed his cold, sadistic laugh.

"How are you alive?" Barry pleaded.

He pulled off his mask to reveal the face of Eobard Thawne, rather than Harrison Wells.

"That's what you really look like?"

"Not quite what you were expecting?" he taunted.

"You look like Eddie." He said, hurting inside.

"That probably has something to do with the fact that I was related to him."

"Was?"

"That's a story for another time."

Barry launched himself at him, but he kicked him in the stomach, shoving him back into the tree.

"I'm faster than you, Barry, always have been. Always will be."

"I've beaten faster."

"What, Zoom? That poser?" asked Thawne, getting angry. "I've had over a decade of getting faster, using my speed to control every aspect of your life, just like I did when I was alive."

"You're talking like you're not alive."

"Well, technically I don't exist. Dear old Eddie removed me from the timeline when he oh so heroically shot himself, I still think a simple vasectomy would have been an acceptable solution but-"

"How are you still here?!" demanded Barry, now on his feet. Thawne rushed forward, shoving Barry back into the tree, cracking it, and leaning in dangerously close.

"I'm a living paradox." He vibrated his whole body, as if to emphasize. "You can't touch me… _Flash_."

"I'm not the Flash anymore."

"And Wally was? Oh, please. If anything _he_ was a poser. So easy to take down."

"Down, not out?" asked Barry, a glimmer of hope in his voice. Thawne laughed.

"Are you asking if he's alive?"

"What the hell else would I be asking?"

"So much anger! I'm impressed."

"Answer the question."

"Hm. He might be. Maybe I'll tell you. If you can catch me." He said, faking out another tackle, causing Barry to flinch back into the tree. Thawne laughed and sped away. Barry screamed and launched himself off of the tree, breaking it. Barry refused to lose Thawne this time. Every step they took shattered the ground beneath them and shook everything around them. Thawne led him into S.T.A.R. Labs, where people were still working. He stopped in the Cortex, causing everyone in there to back up in fear. Barry ran in, his entire face vibrating to conceal his identity.

"So many memories in this room. I think I'll let it stay… for now. This is going to be fun." Thawne then grabbed a random piece of equipment and lodged it into Barry's shoulder, racing off. He fell to his knees in pain, screaming as he grasped it and ripped it out of his shoulder. He hung his head, ceasing the vibration because no one could see him. After taking a few heavy breaths, he sped out of there and back home, collapsing on the couch, catching the surprise of everyone there. Firestorm had left, but everyone else was still present. Patty was upstairs checking on Joey and Kenzie, and everyone else ran over to Barry.

"Barry, are you okay?" asked Iris, touching his face to see if he was alright.

"I'm fine, Iris." He said, his voice shaking. "It's definitely Thawne. He said after Eddie shot himself he became a living paradox and that… that he'd been controlling every aspect of my life since then."

"He was lying, Barry." Said Iris.

"He was just trying to get into your head." Assured Cisco.

"Yeah? Well, it worked." He said angrily, getting off the couch and walking into the kitchen. He shoved everything off the counter as he screamed in frustration.

"Barry, calm down." Pleaded Linda as Iris put her arm around her. He looked over at them and let out a few deep breaths. "Look I think we all need some sleep. You can all crash here if you want, but we can reconvene in the morning to figure out what to do next."

There were murmurs of agreement as they all settled in. Cisco let Iris and Linda take the guest room and he would sleep on the couch. Barry made sure they were all comfortable before walking upstairs and checking on his children. They were both sound asleep, which he was thankful for. He then walked into his room to find Patty sitting on the bed silently, with her arms crossed. This was, without a doubt, the worst birthday ever. When she took notice of him, she stood up and, without speaking, walked to him and embraced him. It took him a few seconds to comprehend what was happening, and he hugged her back, tighter than ever. They stood there in silence for a few seconds until Patty started rubbing the back of his head, and Barry broke down in her arms crying in fear.


	5. Match Made in Hell

"Mick, I've told you the plan a million times. Just listen to Scudder, and everything will be fine. I've gotta go." He hung up the prison phone when he took notice of Caitlin walking past him. He walked up to her and asked "What were you and Flash talking about last night?" She then shoved him into the wall and jammed her forearm into his Adam's apple hard enough to crush it if she pressed any further.

"Just because we have the same gimmick does not mean I like you, and it does not mean I have to tell you anything. You're part of the reason I'm like this, anyway." She let go and started walking away.

"You're better off this way!" he shouted at her, but she ignored him and kept walking. He brushed off his shoulder and turned around before being met with a guard.

"Leonard Snart, you have a visitor."

"Who?"

"Your uncle."

"My unc-? Right… him." He said, playing along as he was guided to the visitors area. He surveyed the scene and saw only two people without a prisoner sitting in front of them. Seeing as how one of them was an incredibly elderly black woman (probably Black Manta's mother, Snart thought), he opted for the well-dressed blonde man. He walked over and took a seat in front of him.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Snart.

"My name… is Eobard Thawne." He said matter-of-factly, leaving his jaw hanging down after finishing speaking.

"That name supposed to mean something to me?"

"Not for a couple centuries."

This earned a skeptical look.

"Perhaps you remember some years ago a man with the powers of the Flash who wore a yellow costume, went by the name of Reverse-Flash."

"Maybe I do. Why do you care?"

"Because that was me. Aside from Zoom, who means essentially nothing to me, no one has ever combatted Barry Allen as formidably as you have. That impresses me." Said Thawne.

"Thanks." Said Snart.

"I've come back to Central City to torture the Flash, both physically and mentally, before finally ending him. I'd like your help with that."

"One condition."

"Name it."

"My Rogues get some of the action too."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

And with that, the two shook hands, Snart slipping him a piece of paper that read where to find the Rogues. It didn't take long for Thawne to pay the Rogues a visit. He surveyed the scene before making himself known to them. Mirror Master, Sam Scudder, who had taken up leadership in Snart's temporary absence. Heatwave, whose idiocy still astounded Thawne decades later. Pied Piper, Hartley Rathaway, who Thawne still valued very highly. Thankfully he wouldn't recognize him as Harrison Wells. Weather Wizard, Mark Mardon, whose powers would come in very handy. Lastly, Captain Boomerang, George Harkness, whose main weapon still made Thawne laugh, but he was impressive with how effective it seemed to be. Thawne was sure that after his plan was complete not all of them would still be alive, which he didn't care too much about. And with that, he appeared in front of them.

"I'm sure you all have a lot of questions, let's get the obvious ones out of the way. My name is Reverse-Flash, I just got back from a meeting with your leader, Captain Cold, he and I agreed to work together to kill the Flash."

"I could get behind that." Said Heatwave.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" questioned Mardon.

Thawne pulled out a tape recorder and played his conversation with Snart, silencing them.

"Alright, I'll bite." Said Mirror Master. "What do you want with us?"

"I'm completely capable of killing the Flash on my own, but I want to have a little fun with him for a few months first. That's where you people come in."

They all exchanged looks except for Hartley, who had his eyes trained on Reverse-Flash, which he noticed.

"We're in." said Mirror Master, but Thawne ignored him and walked towards Hartley. "What say you… Hartley?"

He got up to face him directly. "Sounds fun."

Back at the Allen household, Barry walked downstairs to find Patty, Joey, Kenzie, Iris, and Linda all eating at the table. Joey and Kenzie were eating like crazy, but no one else was really talking.

"Where's Cisco?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"He had to go to work." Responded Patty. Barry walked over and kneeled down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Are you?" she asked seriously.

"Hey, I've got you remember? Nothing can ever really be that bad." He responded, grabbing her hand, forcing a smile out of her. She placed her hand on his cheek and kissed his forehead.

"Get some breakfast, goofball."

For a second, things felt normal. Patty smiled as she ate her breakfast, Iris and Linda exchanged loving glances, the noises of Joey and Kenzie eating dominated every other noise. For a second everything was silent, and then they all started laughing. There was somewhat of an unspoken agreement between them that even though Thawne was back, they wouldn't let that get in the way of enjoying their lives. They'd worked too hard to get where they are.

Before Iris and Linda left, Iris promised Barry "I'm gonna get in touch with some old contacts, see what we can do to find Wally."

"I won't stop looking for him either." He assured her.

After she left and Barry shut the door he hesitated for a moment. He looked back at Patty sitting at the table, reading a book. He let out a sigh and said "Hey, Pat?"

"Yeah, Bar?"

He walked over to the table and sat next to her. "With Wally… with Wally missing Central City doesn't have a Flash to protect it, and I was thinking-"

"I know what you're going to say. I agree with you, this city needs a hero, but I don't see why it has to be you."

"There's no one else who can do it."

"What about Jax and Ronnie?"

"They're not enough. The Flash has been with this city for years, and with Thawne back-"

"With Thawne back you becoming the Flash again is exactly what he wants! I'm worried about you, Barry." She grabbed his hands and looked into his eyes. He licked his lips nervously and squeezed her hands.

"Look, it doesn't… it doesn't matter what I want, because you're my wife and the big decisions like this we make these together. I want do this unless I know you're 100% behind me." He said sincerely, looking at her. She sighed and then smiled.

"110% baby." She said, leaning over to kiss her husband, the Flash.


	6. Prison Break

Cisco sat in his office that once belonged to Harrison Wells… or more accurately Eobard Thawne. The very thought made Cisco shiver, so he distracted himself by looking at Lisa's file once more. She'd dyed her hair blonde. Cisco liked it better brunette, but she was still beautiful. He couldn't help himself from wondering what Thawne wanted with her and why he sent her back to Central City.

Barry sped into his office, catching Cisco by surprise.

"Barry, is everything alright?" he asked, only to be met with a shit-eating grin from Barry.

"You still got a spare Flash suit lyin' around?" this question was met with the biggest smile on Cisco's face.

"Come with me." Cisco led Barry to the hallway with the Time Vault which Cisco had kept for… recreational purposes. He looked around to make sure the coast was clear before imprinting his hand in the wall, opening it up. Once they stepped it, it closed shut. They were met with part of the wall open, showing off an extra of Wally's silver, black, and red Flash suit. They decided not to talk about as Cisco walked over and hit a button on the wall, opening another costume holder, revealing an exact replica of the 2024 version of Barry's suit they had once seen in the newspaper.

"Whoa…" said Barry, stepping forward.

"It occurred to me that you never actually got around to this version of the costume, so after Wally took up the mantle I got to work on it, in case things ever changed. Go ahead, try it on-" but Barry was two steps ahead of him, as he was already wearing it. He lifted up his arms and clenched his fists, stretching in the suit.

"It feels good. Cisco, this is amazing." He said, impressed.

"You sound surprised." Said Cisco, faking offense. Barry laughed and Cisco told him to take it out for a test run. He immediately ran to the top of the tallest building in Central City, looking out over the beautiful view. He smiled and couldn't help himself from letting out a cry of happiness. God, how he missed this! He just stood there, taking it all in. If only Joe and Henry could see him now.

"Barry? Can you hear me?" asked Cisco through the earpiece.

"Yeah, loud and clear."

"Great, because something just came up."

"Just the Allen luck, I guess. What've we got, Cisco?"

"Prison break, at Titanium Heights. It's the Rogues."

"I'm on my way." He said, speeding off.

 _Fifteen Minutes Earlier- Titanium Heights Penitentiary_

"Who are you here to see?" asked the guard.

"Um, Caitlin Snow." Answered Ronnie.

"She's popular lately." Joked the guard, letting Ronnie through. He took a seat at a table and waited. He watched as the guards accompanied Caitlin out and he could feel his heart breaking. This was the first time he was seeing her since he came back and she wasn't the person he once loved. He regretted coming, but it was too late to back out. Everything froze when their eyes met. He expected her to scream and shout and start freezing things, but she just stood there. Slowly, she walked forward and sat down. Both of them found it hard to speak.

"B- Barry said that you were trapped in the Firestorm Matrix." Said Caitlin, trying to break the ice.

"Yeah. It wasn't particularly fun."

"Is that where Stein is now?"

"No. Stein had a heart attack from the overload of three people combining at once. He's dead."

They were silent once more.

"Why didn't you come see me?" she asked, the hurt in her voice bringing Ronnie to tears.

"I was afraid of what you'd become. I was horrified, because this isn't the Caitlin I loved." He said, his voice cracking.

"Well you can blame Zoom and Leonard Snart for that." She said, getting angry as the room got cold. Ronnie couldn't feel it, but everyone else could.

"That doesn't excuse what you've done. It doesn't excuse the people you've killed, Cait." He said, trying not to let his emotions get in the way.

"Everyone I've killed deserved to die. They were all bad people."

"What about William Duquesne?"

That caught her off guard.

"He didn't do anything, he was just trying to make a living and support his children. But he, what? Got in your way?" he asked, challenging her.

"That was different."

"Different how?" he demanded, getting angry.

 _Boom._

Elsewhere in the prison Sam Scudder had just exited a mirror in the bathroom and attached an explosive to the wall, allowing the rest of the Rogues to get in. They didn't care who else got out through the hole, it wasn't their problem.

"It's a big prison, split up, find Snart, get out. As soon as one of us finds him, radio it in and return to this bathroom for evac. Break." Ordered Mirror Master, and everyone went off on their own. Heatwave was the first one to encounter guards, immediately blasting flames at them, but their specially designed armor helped cool them off. However, Captain Boomerang ran up behind him and threw a boomerang into the middle guards chest, blowing him and the other two up. Boomer and Heatwave high-fived and went different directions. Elsewhere, Hartley found Leonard in his cell.

"Hartley." Said Leonard, somewhat surprised.

"Don't act happy to see me." He said disdainfully as he began vibrating the lock.

"Hey, just because you tried to kill me doesn't mean I'm not still attracted to you." He said mockingly and truthfully at the same time.

"Save the sexual drama for later." He said, shattering the lock. "We're out of here. Come with me." They began running and he radioed it in, but they were immediately stopped when they saw the Flash appear right in front of them.

"What the hell? You're not the Flash." Said Hartley.

"Barry." Said Snart, quiet enough for Hartley not to hear.

"Actually, I was here first. I was on vacation, something you won't be getting for a long time."

"Clever." Countered Hartley, blasting a vibration at Barry, which hit him dead on, hurtling him down the hallway, giving them time to run away. Soon all the Rogues returned to the bathroom and Scudder radioed in the evac. Just then, Flash ran in and was about to engage them, but they were then surrounded by a yellow blur, which made Barry temporarily freeze as the Rogues disappeared one by one. After they were gone they blur materialized into Reverse-Flash, who held up his index finger and started waving it back and forth, disapprovingly. He then disappeared right as Barry lunged at him. He then saw a prisoner attempting to get out through the hole, but Barry yelled "Get back to your cell!" He must have sounded pissed off enough, because the prisoner ran in the other direction. He ran through the prison after boarding up the hole, making sure everyone was alright, and he was about to exit through the visitor center, but he saw Ronnie sitting in his chair, with Caitlin holding her hands on her head with two guns trained on her. Barry and Ronnie made eye contact, and Barry nodded understandingly.

"Everything's fine, the attack is over. There's a hole in the bathroom on D Level that needs fixing." He said.

"Hey! You're the original Flash! You're back!" shouted one of the guards excitedly.

"What happened to the new guy?" asked another one, and more and more people starting throwing questions at him, so he ran out. He ran all the way back to Cisco's office and started breathing heavily.

"Man, I'm out of practice. The Rogues got away with Snart, _and_ they're working with Thawne." He saw the concern on Cisco's face. "Lisa wasn't there." He said to calm him down. "We're gonna find her again man, I promise."

"What are you doing tonight?" asked Cisco.

"Looking for Lisa with you." Said Barry, smiling.

Meanwhile, in Linda and Iris's apartment Iris was busy typing away a new story on her laptop. Linda walked out of the bathroom and looked at Iris, her heart racing faster than ever as she twiddled with the device in her fingers.

"Hey, Iris?" she asked.

"What's up, baby?" she responded, not looking up from her laptop. Linda then walked over and stood in front of her, closing the laptop, holding the device up to Iris's face, and her complaining instantly stopped.

"Oh my god… it worked?" she asked hopefully, looking up at Linda.

"It worked! Iris, I'm pregnant!" she responded gleefully as her wife reached over and kissed her, pulling her into a loving embrace.

"Life truly is beautiful." Eobard Thawne muttered to himself from outside their window before disappearing.


	7. Energy Drain

"Do you really think she'd come back here?" asked a skeptical Barry from the car, with Cisco's eyes trained on the Hole in the Wall.

"Honestly? I have no clue. But it's worth checking out." He said, getting out of the car. As they walked in they both stopped and did a double take, seeing Lisa Snart behind the bar, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Wow, first place we looked. What are the odds?" said Barry, but Cisco just walked forward, and stood in front of her until she looked up.

"Oh my god, Cisco! You need to stop coming here!" she said, practically pleading.

"Is this guy bothering you?" asked the guy sitting at the bar, but Cisco told him "Screw off, this doesn't concern you."

"I'm fine, Jerry. Just get back to your beer." Assured Lisa, and Jerry reluctantly obliged.

"Why didn't you tell me that the Reverse-Flash is blackmailing you? And why did he make you come back to Central City just to tend a bar?" he demanded.

"Look, Cisco, I really don't-"

"Lisa, this is important." Said Barry, walking up to the bar.

"Oh, good. You're here." She responded, sarcastically. He smiled jokingly, challenging her.

"That's enough. Lisa, please let up help you." Said Cisco. She sighed and hung her head.

"Look, he came to Metropolis and said if I didn't come back to Central City within the week, he'd torture and kill my loved ones, including you and Lenny." She said, looking at Cisco, practically ignoring Barry. They weren't each other's biggest fans. "He said once I got here he'd meet me to give me further instructions, but he hasn't come to me yet, and I'm terrified."

"Why'd you get a job here?" asked Cisco.

"I figured it was the best way to keep an eye on the Rogues. But the entire time I've been here they haven't come in and I've had no luck finding them."

"We can help you." Said Barry. She looked at him and he returned the look sympathetically. She sighed and hung her head, reaching her arm underneath the bar.

"No one can help me." And then, she pulled out her tranquilizer gun and shot Barry in the chest, then turned to shoot Cisco in the head. "I'm sorry." She said before firing it at him. He collapsed right to the floor as Barry staggered and grasped onto a seat, knocking it over before falling.

"What the hell?" screamed Jerry, but Lisa ignored him as she ran out. Barry's vision went hazy and he was knocked out for about two minutes before waking up and he ran out through the backdoor but Lisa was long gone. He went back and picked up Cisco, speeding out of there just as the police arrived. Barry brought Cisco back to S.T.A.R. Labs where he resuscitated him, waking him up instantly.

"Ah! Did you-" he stopped talking when Barry shook his head solemnly. "Shit. Maybe she's a lost cause."

"Don't say that, man. We'll find her." Barry promised. "It's just gonna take some time."

"Which we don't have. Thawne is out there, we should be devoting every second to finding him, but-" he stopped when they heard people screaming. "What the hell?" Cisco ran over to his laptop and pulled up the security cameras to reveal a large man with purple skin rampaging through the labs. Before either of them could say anything, Barry was gone, and then Flash appeared on the screen.

"Flash! Just the man I wanted to see!"

"You're that guy from Metropolis. The one who absorbs energy, Parasite, right?"

He grinned devilishly and lunged at Barry, but he dodged it and ran behind him.

"Is that all you got?"

"Oh, I got plenty more." He then started charging at Barry, who was trying to lead him out of S.T.A.R. Labs. Luckily, it worked, but the second he got into the parking lot Parasite grabbed Barry's head and starting absorbing his speed.

Barry screamed in pain before vibrating his arm and jabbing Parasite, causing him to let go. Barry could see a surprised look on his face, which soon turned to pleasure.

"This is some good shit. And you live like this?"

"You're about to find out." Taunted Barry, running even further away, and Parasite chased after him with a speed nowhere near Barry's, but still exponentially fast. Barry stopped right in front of the police station, and Parasite skidded to a halt, meeting him face to face. He laughed.

"Good call. Bringing me here so you'll have back-up. Let's see how they do under pressure." Parasite then ran inside, and Barry ran after him, immediately finding every cop in the building shooting at Parasite, but he was absorbing the kinetic energy from all the bullets. One by one the cops stopped firing as they realized it had no effect. Parasite smirked and raised up his fists, slamming them down on the ground, sending out a tremor, but Barry rushed into action and saved all of the cops and got them out of the way. He then radioed Cisco.

"Do you have anything that can help me take this guy down?"

"It's just like Atom Smasher, overload him on energy and he'll collapse."

"But we killed Atom Smasher when we did that."

"Then use less energy?" suggested Cisco.

"You're a real help."

"Hey, like you said, we're out of practice."

Barry sighed. "Alright, I've got an idea." He ran onto the wall and launched himself at Parasite, punching him in the face, rocketing him into the wall. "Tag, you're it."

"Ah!" screamed Parasite. Barry chuckled before running out of the station, with Parasite following him. Barry stopped in the middle of the park, right in front of the giant Flash statue. Parasite stopped and was breathing heavily.

"Last chance to surrender." Offered Barry.

"I'm gonna drain you dry until you're nothing but a husk." Threatened Parasite.

"Charming. Did Reverse-Flash send you?"

"Who the hell? No! No one had to send me! I just wanted a taste of the Flash's power! I was expecting the other guy, but I'll take what I can get. And now that I've got it, I'm never giving it up!"

"Fair enough." Said Barry before breaking out into a run, but he turned and began running circles around the Flash statue.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Parasite, cautiously taking a step forward, trying to slow his vision to see what Flash was up to, but he could already feel his limited power fading. Eventually, Flash leaped out of his routine circle and launched a lightning bolt at Parasite.

"Haha!" laughed Parasite as he reached forward and grabbed the lightning bolt, absorbing its power, but it instantly exploded, catapulting him backwards into a tree.

"Shocking, isn't it?" asked Barry as he ran up to Parasite.

"Dude, you've gotta stop with the puns. It's a real problem." Said Cisco in his ear, causing him to chuckle. Then, Parasite started to shrink until he was incredibly frail, almost anorexic. "Oh, that's not pleasant to look at." Said Barry as he picked up Parasite's unconscious body and hauled it to Titanium Heights. He already saw coverage of his battle on the news, with the headline "Flashback: Our City's Original Hero has Returned!"

He wasn't sure if he should be honored or confused as to why the people seemed not to care too much about losing Wally as the Flash. When he returned home he was met with a phone call from someone he hadn't spoken to in a long time.

"Hey, Felicity."

"Wanna start explaining?"

"I'll be there in a second."


End file.
